College Life Made Easier

Between homework, studying, group projects and partying, I really had a tough time managing my time in college. I was always looking for ways to make my life easier, and it always backfired on me. No matter what anyone says, Sparknotes is not an acceptable substitute for reading the book. You’re still not going to know the main character’s sister’s dog’s name. And your professor is always going to ask you for it.

But the good people at Microsoft must have heard my cries of pain and despair when they took it upon themselves to create their new program, Office Live Workspace. Not only does it let me store my documents and information online and let met access them anywhere from the Internet, but also, it’s FREE. So, when you’ve got a paper due in 12 minutes and your printer is out of ink, all you have to do is save that puppy to your personal online space, haul ass to the ‘brary, print it out and turn it in. Phew.

Even more amazing, Workspace takes the headache out of group projects because it has simplified the sharing process. Everyone in a group can access the latest edition of the document in a glorified, virtual “workspace” where they can collaborate, comment on and edit the same document. Without coordinating their super busy (or super “I don’t want to go to the library in the dead of winter to meet up with these losers”) schedules. Lord knows that’s the most annoying part of any group assignment (besides the a-hole who does nothing and gets the good grade…)

Microsoft’s new program inspired me to search for other ways to smooth out my path toward academic success. Along the way, I found a website dedicated to tips for the college student. CollegeTips.com is a survival guide that answers your questions from studying to managing money and managing time (so you can make it to that toga party Saturday night and get that paper done). CollegeTips supplies students with tips on how to get to know your professors, handle a double major, as well as test-taking strategies and exam tips. Not only that, though, CollegeTips will also advise you on the best way to do your laundry and how to find student ID discounts. And not to be forgotten, there are also tips on how best to pre-game parties and avoid hangovers. It’s a one-stop source for the best way to go about your complete college experience.

Lastly, I think everyone should become a member of Wiggio.com. Exciting features to take advantage of on the site are a shared calendar; ability to send mass messages via email, text or voice note; polling to get group members opinions; and a shared task list and document folder. Wiggio is a management tool that can help the busy and unorganized student get their life in order in one simple program.

While I can’t guarantee that these websites will keep you out of the library forever, they will cut down on the amount of all-nighters and shots of espresso. And if you get in a few more extra hours of sleep a night too, well I wouldn’t be surprised.